Life Goes On
by musictv12
Summary: Veronica's life is about to change dramatically, but with her friends and family by her side, she knows she can take on any new challenge thrown her way. DoVe
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars or any of the characters.**

**Chapter One: Surprise!**

Lamb was worried, simple as that. Veronica had been avoiding him for the past three days and when she finally came over for dinner, she barely said two words. She even declined wine when he offered it. Something was wrong, but Lamb didn't bring it up. He learned a long time ago that she'd tell him when she was ready. So they just cuddled silently on the couch.

"Don," Veronica said quietly, startling Lamb.

"Yeah sweetheart?" He kissed her forehead.

"I have a present for you."

Present? He knew for a fact that he hadn't missed a birthday or anniversary. "What for?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged as she handed him a green envelope. He watched her from the corner of his eye as he opened it. He pulled out a card that was blue with fancy writing that said _Happy Father's Day!_ Now he was really confused. Father's Day? It was December, two weeks until Christmas. He slowly opened the card, and a photo fluttered to the ground. He picked it up and stared at it, trying hard to figure out what it was. He looked from the photo to the card. It read:

_Don,_

_I love you more than anything. I hope you know that. I know we never really discussed our future together, but I hope we have one. I know this is a new beginning for us. Trust me, I'm scared too. My point is I want our child to look like you._

_Love, V_

Don read the card over and over again. Child? He looked at the photo and realized it was a sonogram. He looked his girlfriend with wide eyes. "Are you…Are we..." For some reason, he couldn't find the words.

Veronica took his hand in both of hers. "We're gonna have a baby, baby." She had a small smile.

Don shook his head. "I'm so excited right now, but please do not call me that."

Veronica laughed. "Why?"

"I don't know. It just sounds…weird now."

"Alright, _babe,_ you do realize we have to tell my father?"

Don paled. "Well, I lived a good life."

She smiled and pulled herself onto his lap. "I called him this afternoon. You and I are having dinner at his house tomorrow."

"His house? I thought you stilled lived there."

She shrugged, running her hands up his chest and around his neck. "When was the last time I actually slept there?"

He seemed to think it over. "When we were fighting over the Jones Case."

"Oh yeah. I walked in the house and my dad practically tackled me."

They smiled at each other before leaning in and kissing each other softly.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" he muttered against her lips.

"Not today," she replied before capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. Somehow Veronica ended up on her back with Lamb hovering over her. He broke the kiss and chuckled. "I'm so screwed," he mumbled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Telling Keith**

By the time the couple arrived at the Mars apartment, Lamb was no longer nervous-on the outside that is. On the inside, he was praying Keith was in a good mood. If he wasn't, Lamb just hoped he wouldn't shoot him in front of Veronica.

Veronica was another story. She had expected to be calm as they got out of the car. Instead, she was panicking.

"What if he kicks me out?" she asked as they walked.

"Then you come live with me." At her horrified look, Lamb stopped and grabbed her arms. "Calm down V. He'll be mad at first, sure, but he loves you, okay? Your dad loves you. You're his whole world. After a while, he'll love the fact that he's going to be a grandpa."

Veronica smiled at him as she tilted her head up to kiss him. Just as Lamb wrapped his arms around her waist, they heard a bag drop. They broke apart and turned to look at the noise. When they saw who it was they jumped apart so fast Veronica almost tripped over her own feet.

"Hey Dad," Veronica said.

Keith Mars was standing with his arms held out, like he was still carrying the grocery bag that was by his feet. He was wide-eyed and his mouth was slightly agape.

"How much did you hear?"

"G-g-gr-gr-grand-grandpa?" Keith managed to stutter.

Lamb suddenly became interested in his feet.

Veronica slowly approached her father. She took his hands in hers. "Daddy, I'm pregnant."

"Is…" He didn't say anything else, just looked at Lamb.

"It's not what you think," Veronica told him, making him stare at her.

"What exactly do I think it is?"

"You think it was a one-night stand or something stupid like that, right?"

"Was it?"

"No." She looked back a Lamb, who managed a small smile. She looked back at her father as she said, "We've been together for eleven months, Dad. At first, I wanted to see where this was going before we told anyone. After a few months, I just didn't know what or how to tell you." Veronica noticed she was rambling. "Please say something."

"It's a lot to take in." Keith muttered.

She nodded. "Why don't you go into the apartment? You know, let it sink in. Don and I will pick this up. I'll even make dinner."

He nodded and moved around her. As they past, Keith glared at Lamb, who looked at his feet once again. The couple didn't notice when he stopped outside the door, watching the two. He watched as Veronica held the bag open while Lamb put everything back inside. When he stood up, he said something that made the small blonde laugh. While she was laughing, Lamb took the opportunity to snatch the bag. He smiled as Veronica tried to get it back.

_Happy_, Keith thought. _She's finally happy._ He sighed and unlocked the door. He left it ajar as he sat on the couch. When she had called earlier and said she was bringing a "friend" over, Keith knew she meant boyfriend. She was practically living at another house. She rarely came home, and when she did, she didn't stay long. Keith went into her room the other day and found half her closet missing. Now that he knew it was Lamb, he prayed they didn't sleep in the same bed.

"I think that went rather well," Lamb said quietly as the worked in the kitchen. Keith had the TV on, but was listening to the couple talk. When Veronica announced she was making dinner, Lamb had no clue what to do. He didn't want to be stuck in the living room with Keith, yet he didn't know how Keith would like him being so close to Veronica. In the end, he chose to help Veronica.

"Why?"

"Because I'm still living." Veronica laughed as Lamb smiled and popped a noodle in his mouth, making Veronica swat him on the arm. He just smiled and held up a noodle. She rolled her eyes, but slurped the noodle into her mouth. They both laughed as Veronica did the same thing to him.

Veronica pretended to be serious. "Do you want dinner or not?"

Lamb stared at her. "I'm not sure. I mean, don't we have cake for dessert?"

Veronica shook her head. Only Lamb would say something like that with her father a few feet away. "No," she replied. "We have ice cream."

"Even better."

"I know I'm going to regret asking this, but when'd you two…start," Keith waved his hand between them, "this?"

Veronica and Lamb looked at each other. Lamb shrugged. "After the Coleman Case, right?"

"Well, yes and no. It was the day I officially boycotted Valentine's Day, remember?"

"Explain please," Keith interrupted.

Veronica faced her father. "Well, you know when Josh Coleman hired us to find out if his wife was having an affair?" Keith nodded. "You know she was having an affair and shoplifting?" He nodded again. "After that case, I boycotted Valentine's Day…"

_"Love sucks," Veronica mumbled. Her father was out on a date while she was staring out the window at the pouring rain. Typical. _

_"Come on Veronica," Parker said, standing next to her friend. "It's not that bad."_

_"Easy for you to say." Veronica turned to face her friend. "You have Logan. Wallace has Karen. Mac has Dick. Hell, my dad even has a date."_

_"Hey, we're here with you, aren't we?" Mac told her._

_Before she could say anything, there was a knock at her door._

_"It's open," she called. The trio watched as Logan and Dick appeared. The boys said hello to Veronica before kissing their girls._

_"Eww!" Veronica cried, throwing a pillow at them._

_Parker and Mac looked at her with sad puppy dog eyes._

_"Go and have fun," Veronica smiled._

_"Thank you!" Mac and Parker lunged forward and squeezed her before taking the boys by the hands and dragging them out of the apartment. As soon as the door shut Veronica groaned. _

_"I'm officially boycotting Valentine's Day," she grumbled to the air. With a sigh, she walked to her room and grabbed a hoodie. Raining or not, she could use some air. So she slipped the hoodie over her head, locked the door, and started walking down the street. She didn't care if she looked like an idiot or that there was a chance of her waking up tomorrow with a cold. As she walked, she saw couples everywhere. She sighed. It was the day before Valentine's Day, so stores were crowded with last minute shoppers and crowded restaurants with men hoping to get reservations. She didn't even realize she stopped walking until she heard a car stop behind her. She turned her head slightly just as the window was rolled down. She turned around fully as Lamb's face appeared._

_"Need a ride?" he asked._

_Veronica crossed her arms over her chest. "No." Then she added a little softer, "I chose to walk."_

_"The thing falling from the sky is rain, Mars." She glared at him. "Come on. Do you really want to be sick for Valentine's Day?"_

_Veronica swiftly shook her head. "I officially boycotted Valentine's Day."_

_Lamb snickered. "When?"_

_She shrugged. "Twenty minutes ago?"_

_"You've been out here for twenty minutes?"_

_"What can I say? I love the rain. Don't be surprised if I start doing a rain dance."_

_Lamb rolled his eyes. Before she knew what was happening, Lamb cut the engine and climbed out, zipping up his jacket as he locked the doors. Veronica noticed he was wearing a grey jacket and jeans. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him dressed casually, but it was the first time she thought he actually looked hot._

_"What are you doing?" she asked._

_It was Lamb's turn to shrug. "I can't let you walk all alone, can I?"_

_"Whatever." She looked around. "I was walking towards the…somewhere. I'm not sure."_

_"Well come on. We'll get lost together."_

_For some reason, Veronica's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't protest. She started walking again and Lamb followed. After a few minutes of walking, Veronica saw Lamb pull his hood up, blocking his face from her view. Before either of them knew it, they were outside of Neptune High._

_"I always thought I'd end up back here eventually," Veronica said._

_She couldn't see Lamb's face as he said, "Planning on breaking and entering?"_

_"With the sheriff as an accomplice? Do you think that would go over well?"_

_Lamb turned to face her. "You really hated it here, didn't you?"_

_"Before or after I was arrested by you?"_

_Lamb rolled his eyes. He didn't say anything. Even as Veronica stared at the school, she could feel Lamb's eyes on her. Before she knew what happened, his hands were on her cheeks and his lips were on hers. His lips were warm. He tasted like coffee and cinnamon. When she finally wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, and kissing him back, Lamb noticed how soft her lips were and how they tasted like sugar cookies and chocolate. When they broke apart, they rested their foreheads against each other. _

_"What the hell was that?" Veronica muttered._

_Lamb chuckled. "I don't know, but I sure would like to do it again." With that, he pulled back to scan her face. Veronica noticed his hood was once again off his head._

_"Me too," she mumbled before pulling him into another mind-blowing kiss._


	3. Chapter 3

**This is after season 3. Lamb never died, obviously. It's AU so I apologize if the characters are out of character.**

**Chapter Three: Six**

Veronica was six months pregnant now. Around her third and fourth month, the morning sickness hit her hard. She was up half the night, throwing up. To make things easier, they moved in together about a week after they told everyone the news. Neither got much sleep during her sickness. Every time she got up, Lamb was right behind her. Sacks had mentioned more than once that he had found Lamb asleep in his office. She had weird cravings at two in the morning and her mood swings made her more dangerous than she already was. Most of the time, her male friends knew when to avoid her at all costs. Her female friends were by her side through it all, mostly when Lamb was at work. When their one year anniversary rolled around (both of them were now boycotting Valentine's Day), they spent the morning getting some supplies for the babies (at the last appointment, they found out they were having triplets-all boys) and the evening eating pizza, ice cream, and watching movies that Lamb let Veronica choose.

Around month five, they moved into a new house. Veronica fell in love with it as soon as she crossed the threshold. She claimed it was the perfect house. It was big, not 09er big, but big. It was three stories with a finished basement. It had a room for an office on the first floor, three rooms on the second, and two rooms on the third, along with an open space that could be used for a playroom. There was a wrap-around porch on the first floor. There was a big backyard that could be used for playing sports, having barbeques, or just hanging out. (When Veronica saw it, she made Lamb promise he'd build a play set for the boys.) The kitchen looked brand new. The living room had enough space for two couches, a flat screen TV, and even a bookcase. Before they moved in, Veronica had all the men in her life paint the entire house. When they finished that, she made them all move the boxes and furniture into the house. When everything was unpacked and set up, Veronica mumbled something about being home.

Veronica groaned and rolled over onto her side to check the clock. It was eight in the morning on a Saturday and one of the little monsters in her stomach was kicking like crazy. She rolled onto her other side to see that Lamb was still asleep. Half his face was buried in the pillow and his arm was thrown over her waist. She sighed. She really didn't want to be up, but there was no way she was getting any more sleep. At least the morning sickness had died down. She'd only been sick twice that week, meaning Lamb was able to sleep for more than three hours. As she laid there, she thought about the past six months and the future. She knew they would get married eventually, even if the kids were thirty. When Keith had asked Lamb about marrying her, he quickly said he would wait until she was ready. He didn't want people to think they were only getting married because she was pregnant.

"Stop it," Lamb muttered, nuzzling her neck.

"Stop what?" She ran a hand over his face and through his hair as his eyes opened. She loved those eyes.

"Thinking."

She rolled her eyes, but scooted closer to him. "Go back to sleep."

"Why are you up?" He pulled himself into a sitting position before stretching his arms. As he did, Veronica watched the muscles in his arms and chest.

"One of the babies was kicking."

He pulled her to his side. "What about now?"

Veronica couldn't take her eyes off her boyfriend's naked chest. "I love you," she said before kissing his chest. He chuckled.

"Love you, too." He kissed her slow and gently, and it quickly grew more heated. Somehow, they slid down so Veronica was on her back. Lamb broke the kiss, and, with a smile, he kissed her stomach. He laid his chin gently against her stomach as he stared at her.

"We never did talk about names," Veronica said, absentmindedly running a hand through his hair.

"Well we have three," Lamb stated. "Including middle names, there are six names. I think we should split it."

"Maybe we should try and agree."

Lamb smiled, kissed her stomach once more, and rubbed a hand over her belly. "Well what name do you like?"

Veronica thought about it while running a hand through his hair. "Tony, maybe?"

Lamb nodded slowly. "Like Anthony?"

"Yeah. Anthony Isaiah?"

"Anthony Isaiah Lamb?" At her nod, he said, "I like it. How about Cameron?"

"I always liked the name Levi."

Lamb looked at her. He tested the name over and over in his head. He finally said, "Cameron Levi doesn't sound good. I'm partial to Levi Cameron, though."

Veronica ran her hand over his cheek. "Me, too, babe." She sighed and joined her hands with Lamb's on her stomach. "We still have to name this little guy." She rubbed the left side of her belly, which Lamb kissed. Finally, he sat up to lean against the headboard.

"Liam," Veronica said at the same time Lamb said, "Tyler." They laughed.

"Okay, which sounds better? Liam Tyler or Tyler Liam?"

They looked at each other. "Liam Tyler," they said together.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Impatient**

It was June 23rd. Veronica was lying on the couch, rubbing her stomach. Her due date was still a week away, but she was beyond ready to get these babies out of her. She had been trying everything and anything to start labor. Since Lamb was trying to get as much work as possible done (after the babies were born, he was going to take a two week leave), he was at work early in the morning to late at night. He had Mac or Wallace check on her every once and a while.

About two weeks ago, Lamb had announced that he didn't want Keith thrown out on his ass once he came back. He discussed it with Keith and the mayor. The three came to a decision: Lamb would remain as sheriff while Keith would take over as chief of police. Veronica had been more than proud of Lamb for suggesting it. Not only did Keith get a better job than before, but Keith and Lamb were on good terms once again. When the two men told her that, she burst into tears, then blamed hormones.

"You here V?" Wallace called through the house as he opened the door. He closed the door and checked the house. "Veronica?" he called up the stairs.

"In here," she called back. Wallace entered the living room and found his blond and pregnant friend on the couch.

"You look comfy," he said, plopping down in a chair.

"If you were any closer, I'd smack you," Veronica grumbled. She sat up and looked at her friend. "Did Don send you here?"

"No. I wanted to see you. I mean, after the babies are born, you'll be too busy for me."

Veronica laughed. "I'll always have time for you and-" She was cut off by a sharp pain in her stomach.

"You okay, V?"

"Yeah fine." She rubbed her belly. "It's been like this all morning."

Wallace was quickly by her side. "All morning? Do you think you could be in labor?"

To prove that she was fine, Veronica struggled to her feet. Before she could say anything, there was another pain. "Wallace, call Don."

"Sheriff," Sacks said, sticking his head in the office. Lamb had been finishing paperwork when the deputy stuck his head in.

"It's the Fennell kid," Sacks explained before disappearing. Lamb dropped his pen. Wallace would never call him unless something was wrong. He quickly picked up the phone.

"Lamb."

"Veronica's in labor."

"What? Now?"

"We can't really choose these things, can we?"

Lamb rolled his eyes. "Are you on your way to the hospital?"

"Everything's taken care of, Sheriff. I called the doctor and got her bag. We're on our way. The only thing she needs is you. Believe me, she told me."

"I'll meet you there." And as an afterthought, he asked, "Did you call Keith?"

"Yep. Veronica called him as I called you."

"Tell her I'll be there soon." He hung up. "SACKS!"

When the man appeared, Lamb grabbed his keys and stuffed his phone in his pocket as he stood up.

"Veronica's in labor," he explained quickly. "You're in charge until Keith comes in." With that, he rushed out of the station.

Lamb got to the hospital shortly after Veronica. Wallace and Keith were waiting for him when he got there. The three sat in the room with Veronica. Logan, Mac, Parker, and Piz showed up shortly after. When the nurse came in, she demanded only two people could be in the room. They all knew they'd have to drag Lamb's dead body away from her, so they remaining adults started to argue who the other person would be. The young adults all shut up and left when Keith glared at the group. When they left, a younger nurse came in and smiled. She saw couples of all sorts in the maternity ward.

Sometime later, Keith joined the young adults in the waiting room.

"What's going on?" Parker asked when she saw him.

Keith shook his head. "It was time to push and Veronica didn't want me in there."

"What about Lamb?"

"Lamb said he didn't care where I was. When I started to leave, he said he'd come out after the babies were born."

They weren't sure how long they waited. Logan had brought cards with him so the six played different card games.

Lamb ran a hand up and down Veronica's arm. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I love you," he muttered.

"Love you too," Veronica mumbled tiredly. She smiled lazily at the two sleeping babies in her arms. They had dressed Anthony in all blue (blanket included), Levi in green, and Liam in red. After Veronica fed all three, Lamb took Liam in his arms. He was sitting on the bed beside his girlfriend, Liam snuggled in his arms. Veronica never thought she'd see the day when Lamb was holding a baby in his arms.

"Why don't you sleep?" Lamb asked, carefully placing Liam in the bassinet next to Veronica's bed. She nodded slowly. Lamb smiled and laid the other two boys next to their brother. "You sleep. I'm gonna go get your father and friends."

She smiled lazily before drifting off to sleep. Lamb kissed her forehead before going in search of the waiting room.

"They're so cute," Parker cooed when the six finally got to see the triplets. Lamb was once again sitting on Veronica's bed beside her. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders, rubbing her arm soothingly, and her arm was slung over his waist as she slept.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this," Keith said, "but Parker's right." He looked at Lamb, who rolled his eyes.

"So far they look like their mother," Logan said. "Which is a good thing."

Lamb sighed just as Veronica stirred. She opened her eyes and looked up at her boyfriend, who was still in his uniform. He smiled at her before kissing her softly.

"You did good," Lamb whispered to her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Sleep**

Two months. That's how long the boys had been home. Since the very first day they'd brought the boys home, Veronica and Lamb lost sleep. It was mostly Veronica who got up when they cried, but some nights Lamb crawled out of bed and got whoever was crying. It was rare when they both had to get up.

"I'm going crazy," Veronica muttered as she sat beside Lamb on the couch. He had been about to fall asleep when she sat down.

"Why babe?" Lamb muttered as he lazily wrapped his arms around her. He laid back on the couch, dragging her with him.

Veronica turned in his arms to face him. "I need some alone time," she said, running a hand over his face.

"By alone time…"

"I mean alone time with you."

Lamb smiled and kissed her softly. "Anything you need, baby."

Veronica's face brightened. "Let me go call someone." She kissed him again before she patted his chest and jumped off the couch. She ran to the phone and dialed the first number that came to mind. Lamb silently watched as she grew more and more frustrated with each call. It was now August, and Veronica was taking one or two classes at night, when Lamb was back from work.

"Having trouble?" he asked, finally sitting on up the couch. His girlfriend glared at him before answering.

"My dad's working a case, Wallace has basketball and homework, Mac is on a date with Dick, and Logan is who knows where with Parker."

"What about that Piz kid?"

Veronica stared at him. "No offense to Piz or anything, but I can't see him taking care of even _one_ baby."

"And you'd let Logan?"

She sighed and plopped down on the couch, plopping her feet in his lap. "Maybe it's just not meant to be."

Lamb paused for a moment. "What about Sacks?"

Veronica couldn't help but laugh. "Sacks with a baby? That's probably worse than Piz."

"Yeah you're right." They continued thinking until the phone rang. Veronica lunged for it. Whoever it was about to be roped into babysitting.

"Hello?"

"Hey Veronica, its Parker."

"Oh, hey. I thought you were with Logan."

"Well I was, but Logan told me you called, and Mac and I decided to help you out. We're ditching our boys to babysit."

"That's right!" Mac shouted in the background.

Veronica smiled. "You guys are absolutely the best."

"We'll be over in twenty minutes. You better tell that man of yours that he better be taking you somewhere special because I plan on dressing you up. Oh, and I had Logan book you two a room at the Grand." Before Veronica could say anything, Parker hung up. Veronica turned to Lamb.

"That was Parker."

"And?"

"She and Mac are going to babysit." He smiled. "She said that you better be taking my somewhere special and after that, we have a room at the Grand with our names on it."

As soon as Parker and Mac entered the house, Parker dragged Veronica up the stairs, to the master bedroom, and slammed the door, leaving Mac with Lamb.

"What was that about?" Lamb asked, looking at the empty staircase.

Mac shrugged. "Parker said something about making Veronica look good tonight." She clapped her hands. "So where are my favorite nephews?"

"Are you sure about this?" Veronica asked after Parker told her to sit still for the fifth time.

"Of course," Parker snapped. She sat back to look at her friend. "You'll knock him dead." She closed the eyeliner and stood up. "I brought him some clothes a while ago. You two will be drop dead gorgeous." Parker grabbed Veronica's hands and pulled her up. "Now go see your man."

Lamb hadn't asked a single question when Parker shoved clothes in his arms. Even though he was beyond curious, he did as he was told. Now he was standing by the couch in a black suit with a blue button down shirt ("It matches your eyes," Parker had said) and a black tie. Mac was on the floor with the triplets on a blanket. Lamb was about to say something to her when Parker flounced into the room, a smile plastered on her face.

"Your princess awaits," she said happily.

Lamb snorted. "I love Veronica, but I think princess is pushing it."

And of course, Veronica just had to make him eat those words. She was dressed in a strapless black dress that stopped mid-thigh. Her hair was curled and her make-up did nothing to hide her beauty. She had on black heels and had a black purse hanging off her shoulder.

Lamb didn't even realize he was staring until she said, "What's the matter with you?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, it's just…God, you're beautiful." She hung her head slightly to hide her slight blush.

"Let me say good-bye to the boys before we go," she said. When she passed him to get to the twins, she pinched his butt, causing him to jump. She kissed each boy on their head. When she backed up, she noticed how much the boys were going to look like their father. They had his blue eyes and his hair color. Hopefully they wouldn't have his personality.

Lamb practically had to drag his girlfriend away from the house. He opened the car door for her. As she was getting in, Lamb caught her hand. "What would you say if we ditched dinner?"

Veronica leaned in and kissed him softly. "I would tell you to lead the way."

Lamb and Veronica took no notice to the room. They were too absorbed in each other. They had been in the room all of five seconds before Veronica jumped him. She kissed him hard and passionately as she jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist. He had one hand lost in her hair and the other was holding her up as he stumbled towards the bed. When he dropped her on the bed and was kissing down her neck, she was able to slip his jacket and shirt off. He slipped her shirt off and was kissing her stomach, her hand running through his hair.

"Do you hear that?" she suddenly asked.

Lamb stopped and looked at the blond with a raised eyebrow. "Hear what?"

"Crying."

Lamb groaned and rolled off her. He took a deep breath before leaning on his elbow. "Look, I know this is our first time away from the boys, but we need to enjoy it. Who knows when we'll get another one."

Veronica sighed and rolled onto her side to face him. "I know, and I'm sorry, but don't you miss them?"

"Terribly," he admitted. He ran a hand up and down her arm. "We've been gone about twenty minutes, but we can call them if you want."

She shook her head. She rolled on him. She kissed his chest before she said, "Not right now."

"So how are they?" Veronica was sitting up with the sheet wrapped around her. She was trying to listen to Parker and Mac talk, but she was distracted by Lamb kissing her shoulders and back.

"They're fine," Mac assured her.

"So how was dinner?" Parker asked.

Lamb and Veronica looked at each other. "It was delicious," Veronica lied. They had ordered room services a while ago. Lamb was now lightly biting her skin. "Would you stop it?" she finally asked. Lamb laughed and fell back on the bed, running a hand up and down her bare back as she spoke into the phone.

"No wonder you have kids," Parker snorted. "You two are like rabbits."

Lamb laughed again as he rolled away to grab his phone from his pants on the floor.

"I blame him," Veronica said, grinning at her boyfriend. Lamb rolled his eyes before checking his texts and missed calls.

"You can come home anytime, even tomorrow."

Veronica laid down, resting her head against Lamb's chest as their legs got tangled together. "We'll be home soon." With that, Lamb took her phone and ended the call with a grin as he ducked his head to kiss her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay so this is going back to before Lamb kissed Veronica. This may or may not be multiple chapters. This chapter takes place a few months before the kiss.**

**Chapter Six: The Beginning**

Veronica was sitting in her car outside the Camelot, waiting for the money shot. Josh Coleman had hired her to find out if his wife was having an affair. She had been sitting outside the Camelot for an hour. Kelsey Coleman had entered a room, but who was with her had yet to show their face. So, naturally, Veronica was bored. It was about midnight. She already called her father to tell him she would be late. She thought about dragging one of her friends there to keep her company, but decided against it. For some odd reason, Veronica felt like being alone. Maybe it was because all her friends had a boyfriend/girlfriend, even her father. She had brought them all together and now she was the odd one out.

The light turned off in the room. Veronica sighed and rubbed her eyes. All she needed was sleep. She didn't want to be left alone with her thoughts, but she let her mind wander anyway. She thought about how she had been at the FBI for the internship, and how they thought she had a career there. But for some reason, Veronica couldn't bring herself to leave Neptune. She knew it wasn't because of her father. Sure she would've missed him, but he would never even think about standing in her way of becoming an agent.

Logan? No it couldn't be. Even though they had patched things up between them, Logan had moved on to Parker, and Veronica was happy for them. Honestly, truly, genuinely happy for the couple.

Piz? Maybe. She had broken things off when Piz tried to get her to stay in Neptune. She knew he was still pining after her.

Then what was it? Mac and Wallace had already told her that they would be by her side in whatever her choice she made. Veronica didn't even know if what was holding her back was a some_thing_ or some_one._ So Veronica sat back in her seat, trying to sort out her confused feelings. She was so absorbed in watching the dark room that she didn't see anyone approaching her car until there was a knock on the passenger side. Veronica jumped. She turned to see a smiling Lamb. Rolling her eyes, she unlocked the doors and gestured for him to get in.

"What do you want?" she asked after he shut the door. He straightened his jacket before meeting her eyes.

"I was heading home when I saw your car," he replied. "You didn't see or hear me pull up, so I figured something was up."

When Lamb had been in the hospital after getting hit by the baseball bat, Veronica had only gone to the hospital because her dad wanted to see the man. She planned on not stepping foot there again.

_Veronica was sitting in a chair by Lamb's bed while her dad was sitting beside her. Neither said a word until Keith stood up and laid a hand on his daughter's shoulder._

_"I'm going to get some coffee," he said. "Want some?"_

_Veronica shook her head. Keith nodded and silently slipped out of the room. As soon as the door was closed, Lamb groaned. Veronica froze as he opened his eyes. She watched as his blue eyes adjusted to the lights in the room. She didn't say anything, and when he finally saw her, he was surprised, but didn't say anything for a while._

_"You're the last person I expected to see here," he said._

_She shrugged. "My dad wanted to see you," she snapped. "I didn't want to come."_

_Lamb sighed. "I'm sorry," he said quietly._

_Veronica hid her confusion. _Sorry for what?_ She wondered. If he was apologizing for being an ass over the years, he still had a long way to go before she forgave him. He had made the Mars family a laughingstock. He had been a complete ass to her. He had suspected her or her friends for almost every crime that happened in Neptune. He had arrested her more than once…and enjoyed every second of it._

_She crossed her arms. "For what?"_

_His eyes hesitantly met hers. "Everything." His eyes drifted to the ceiling. "For laughing at you when you claimed you were raped, for turning on you and Keith, for everything."_

_"Why are you apologizing now?" She still had no intention of forgiving him so easily._

_"When I blacked out, my first thought was I was dead. When I woke up after surgery, I had a lot of time to think. I realized I wasn't the same man I was when I first came to Neptune. I realized I was an ass. I realized I needed to change. Apologizing to you and Keith was the first thing I thought of." He refused to meet her eyes._

_Veronica's arms fell to her sides. She knew there was no way he thought of that right off the bat. He really had been thinking. "You really want to be a better man?"_

_He finally met her eyes, his gaze worried and hesitant. "Yeah, I do."_

_"Then here's what you can do."_

Veronica had made Lamb apologize to each and every person he disrespected, treated like dirt, or suspected of a crime (that was mostly to Logan). After that, she wanted him to take her out to a movie with any snacks she wanted, like they used to do when he was Keith's deputy and he was in charge of her. But since he was still recovering, they sat in his apartment eating pizza, watching the South Park movie, and pigging out on ice cream. That became routine for every Wednesday night. It took a while, but Lamb had become a better man. The town of Neptune had taken a while to accept this change, but eventually they did. Since then, Lamb and Veronica had grown close again. It scared the crap out of Keith, but he trusted Lamb to take care and protect Veronica.

"Just working," Veronica replied.

"Bored?"

"Very."

Lamb chuckled as he shifted in his seat. "Thought so," he told her. "That's why I brought you this." He took something out of his pocket and laid it on Veronica's thigh. It was a rectangular item wrapped in tin foil. Veronica unwrapped the object. Underneath the tin foil was a candy bar. A Mars bar.

"Oh ha ha." She balled up the tin foil and threw it at his head, which he easily dodged. More seriously, she said, "But thanks for the thought."

He smiled. "So what's the job?"

"The usual," she replied with a shrug. "Cheating wife."

"No money shot?"

"Not yet." She glanced at the dark room. "But I'll get it. Just wait and see."

He nodded and grinned as he leaned back in the chair, turning his head to look at her. "Want some company?"

"From you?" she snorted.

"Who else?"

She smiled as she split the candy bar in half and handed him one half. He took it and they both bit into their half simultaneously.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Scared**

Lamb knew for a fact that if he hadn't nearly died from the baseball bat, he never would've changed. He never would've fixed his relationship with Veronica or Keith. If it hadn't been for the petite blonde that caused trouble everywhere she went, he probably would still be an ass to the people around him.

Lamb sighed and leaned back in his chair. Paperwork sucked. There hadn't been any big crimes in Neptune for a while. Part of Lamb was glad while the other part-the bored part-was just waiting for someone to do something stupid.

"Sheriff," Sacks said, sticking his head in the office.

"What?" Lamb grumbled.

"Veronica Mars is on line two."

Lamb sighed. Talking to Mars was better than doing paperwork. "Thanks." He picked up the phone and hit line two. "Hello?"

"Hey there Deputy." Despite their renewed relationship, he was still deputy to her.

"What do you want Mars?"

"Can't I just call and say hello?"

"Normal people can."

She scoffed. "Fine, whatever. I just called to say that I can't make it tonight."

Tonight? Lamb thought for a moment. Oh, right. It was Wednesday. "Why not?"

"Homework. It really sucks still being in school."

And there she goes reminding him how much younger she is than him. "It's fine. Besides, if you fail, your dad would come after _me_."

She laughed. "Yeah he would. Anyway, I better get back to work."

"So should I."

"You work?"

"Bye Mars."

She snickered. "Bye Deputy." She hung up before Lamb could say anything else. Lamb put the phone down and thought about doing something for the blonde. After all, she stuck by him during his recovery. That was when Lamb started to feel scared. When had he become so close to Veronica? He knew that Keith would shoot him (or hit him with a baseball bat) if he realized that his daughter had become very close to him once again. One part of Lamb was absolutely terrified about how much he cared about Veronica, and the other part was calm, like it was natural.

Lamb groaned and let his head hit his desk. _What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

That thought haunted Lamb's mind as he absentmindedly picked up a pizza and drove to the Mars' apartment. He had no clue what possessed him to do this, but it was too late to back out…considering he just knocked on their door.

"What are you doing here?" Veronica asked as when she saw him.

"Hungry?" Lamb held up the pizza.

She tilted her head and smirked. "Maybe."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Thought you could use some company."

"How'd you know I didn't have company?"

Lamb pushed past her. He laid the pizza on the counter as he said, "Because I know you."

She closed the door. She didn't say anything as she placed two paper plates on the counter. They opened the box and each took two pieces.

"Want some beer?" she asked right as Lamb took his first bit, making him choke.

"What?"

"Beer," she repeated. She stood expressionless as he stared at her in curiosity.

"You're underage."

"So?" She opened the fridge and took two bottles out. "No one has to know."

"You do realize I'm the sheriff, right?"

She shrugged as she opened both bottles. "And your point is…?"

"Your dad will murder me."

"Then he doesn't have to know." She was completely serious. She took a sip, never taking her eyes off his.

Finally, he sighed and reached for the other bottle. They ate pizza, and when they were done, Lamb watched TV as Veronica sat cross-legged next to him on the couch doing her homework. When they finished their beers, Veronica got up to get another up.

"Get me one!" Lamb called after her. When she came back, she was holding one bottle.

"All we have left," she explained as she plopped next to him.

They stared at each other for a while, neither breaking eye contact.

"It should be mine," Veronica started, "but I'll be nice and share." She opened the bottle and took a sip before handing the bottle to him. He took a sip. That's how it went for a while. Both took small sips as they went back to their previous activities. When Veronica finished her homework, she settled back in the couch.

It was around mid-night when Keith arrived home. As he unlocked the door, he was surprised to hear the TV. Veronica had told him she was doing homework. He would've thought she'd be in bed by now. Maybe she fell asleep on the couch. Keith opened the door and closed it behind him. He turned towards the couch after locking the door and just about fainted at the sight he saw. There was an empty pizza box and three empty beer bottles on the coffee table. Lamb had his feet on the table. Veronica had her head on his chest and an arm thrown across his stomach and Lamb's arm was around her shoulders. Lamb's jacket was covering Veronica, telling Keith she had fallen asleep first.

Sighing, Keith turned the TV off. He threw away the pizza box and beer bottles. He decided he'd chew Veronica out for underage drinking tomorrow. And Lamb…well he'd let it slide this once. He was glad Veronica had some company tonight. He knew she would've caused some sort of trouble if she'd been on her own. But he hadn't realized the sheriff and his daughter were so close…and that scared him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Mistake**

"I hate you," Lamb said for the tenth time in the past half hour.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "No you don't." She grabbed a carton of milk and stuck it in the cart. She had promised her dad she'd do the grocery shopping as part of her punishment (she may or may not have broken into another house), and somehow she had convinced Lamb to come with her. They had been in the store for a total of two minutes when Lamb first mumbled that he hated her.

"You're too damn convincing," Lamb grumbled. "You somehow always get your way."

Veronica smirked. "You're just a push-over."

Lamb stopped. "I seriously hate you."

This time Veronica snorted. "Yeah right. If you hated me, you would've left the minute you first complained."

"You drove," he deadpanned. He reached up to grab a box of granola bars that the petite blonde couldn't reach. He tossed it in the cart and Veronica moved on.

"This is your fault," Veronica said as they walked. "Well, mostly your fault."

"How the hell was it my fault?"

"You called my dad."

"You broke into a house!"

She shrugged. She almost said, "I do it all the time", but figured that'd be a bad thing to say to the sheriff. "Not the first time, and usually you don't call my dad."

"Well I had no reason to keep you. Besides, your one call was to Fennel to tell him good luck at his game."

"I wanted him to do good," Veronica said with a smile on her face.

As Veronica went down the list and checked items off, Lamb leaned against the aisle, careful not to knock anything off.

"That it?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, I need to get some bread."

"That's by the candy isn't?"

"Why? You want some?"

"No…maybe."

She laughed and nudged him with her elbow. "Well I could use some chocolate."

They grabbed two loaves of bread before going down the candy aisle. Lamb was trying hard to convince her to buy some Mars bars, but she just kept laughing and shaking her head. Eventually Lamb put the Mars bars down and picked up a bag of M&M's. He tossed it in the cart. Veronica just stood there, eyes scanning every inch of the aisle.

"We don't have all day, Mars," he said.

"It has to be the right choice," Veronica snapped playfully. "It has to be the perfect candy."

Lamb rolled his eyes, but he had a slight smile on his lips. "You're insane," he muttered.

She poked him in the side before going back to her important choice. Lamb stood slightly behind her, looking over her shoulder.

"Excuse me," a female voice said. Veronica took a step back, pressed against Lamb's front, to let an elderly woman pass. The small woman reached up to a box of candy on the very top of the aisle. She stretched hard to try and grab it, but Lamb knew she wouldn't be able to reach it.

"Let me get that for you," he said, stepping around Veronica. He grabbed the box and handed it to the smiling woman.

"Thank you young man," the woman said, clutching the box to her chest. She smiled at both of them before starting to walk away. Suddenly, she stopped and turned back around. "Might I say that you two make a lovely couple."

Both Lamb and Veronica opened their mouths to protest, but the woman scurried away. They stood in silence for a moment or two before Veronica blindly reached for a box of Skittles.

"Let's go," she said. She didn't wait for Lamb. She knew he was following her.

Lamb took a good long look at Veronica from behind. She was wearing faded jeans, worn-out sneakers, a t-shirt of his that she had stolen the last time she had fallen asleep at his apartment, and her hair was in a messy ponytail. He didn't know what had given the old lady the idea that they were together. And by the way Veronica was acting, she didn't know and didn't want to bring it up. It was a honest mistake…right?


	9. Chapter 9

**This is the last chapter before I go back to the original purpose of this story.**

**Chapter Nine: Dance**

Lamb sighed when he finally entered the cell block. He had been getting ready to leave when Sacks said it was his turn to watch the jail-bird. Lamb knew it was better than sitting at home bored out of his mind so he didn't argue. He also didn't say anything when Sacks left his jacket at his desk.

"Wow I'm surprised," Lamb said when he saw the blonde doing push-ups on the floor. She looked up, and that single look made her lose her balance and fall on her stomach.

"I thought Sacks was supposed to stay," she said as she got to her feet.

"He had a date," Lamb said, plopping into a chair. According to one of his deputies, she had been caught trying to sneak into Vinnie Van Lowe's office. Of course, Van Lowe was threatening to press charges, but everyone knew he wouldn't go through with it. He was doing it mostly to scare Veronica, though it took a lot to scare her.

"Don't I get a phone call?" She leaned on the bars as she spoke.

"You got one already," Lamb replied. "According to Smith, you used it to call your dad, who's out of the town for the weekend."

She groaned and flopped onto the cot. They sat in silence for a while before Lamb spun around in his chair. Veronica silently watched as he turned on the radio. She slowly sat up as old country songs filled the room.

"What the heck is this?" she asked.

Lamb just smirked. "Music," he replied.

She covered her ears. "I think my ears are bleeding." When he rolled his eyes, she added, "Seriously, what kind of music is this?"

Lamb shrugged. "Just…music is all." He didn't elaborate, and she didn't ask. They settled into a comfortable silence. Lamb did paperwork while Veronica stared at him.

"You wanna know something?" she finally said.

Lamb barely glanced at her when he mumbled, "Hmm?"

Veronica leaned on the bars. She wanted his full attention. Paperwork be damned. "You're kind of sexy."

Startled, Lamb dropped his pen. His eyes were wide when he turned to face her. "What?"

Veronica smirked. "Just wanted your attention," she declared. "I was actually going to say that this music is kind of soothing."

Lamb grinned. "So you admit it, huh?"

"Shut up before I slap you."

Lamb laughed. "I'm all the way across the room."

"Then come closer."

He laughed again and shook his head. "You really are something special Mars."

She beamed. "I know." She grabbed the bars tightly. "Do you listen to this often? Is that why you always act like a cowboy?"

"Act like a cowboy?"

Veronica mimicked him by hooking her thumbs in her belt loops.

He shrugged. "Habit, I guess. I mean, I did grow up in Texas."

"Ah." She grinned as she pressed her face against the bars. "You were born a cowboy."

Lamb rolled his eyes. He decided to change the subject before he strangled her. "You doing anything for Valentine's Day?"

"Why do you care?"

Lamb shrugged. "Just trying to pass the time, but if you want to sit in cell quietly-which I don't think is possible-then be my guest."

Silence fell once again. Lamb finished his paperwork so he was now stuck with playing with his pen. Veronica debated whether or not to do push-ups again, but ultimately decided against it. She stuck with drawing a tattoo on her wrist. She paused when she heard a slow song come onto the radio.

"Lamb," she suddenly said.

"Hmm?"

"Come in here."

He finally looked up at her. "What?"

She rolled her eyes. "We're both bored. Why not come and dance?"

"Dance?"

She shrugged. "It's better than sitting here drawing on ourselves."

Lamb sighed, but stood up. "Even think about trying to escape and I'll keep you here another day."

"Whatever. Just get in here."

Lamb slowly unlocked the cell door. When Veronica made no move from the center of the cell, Lamb opened the door. He stepped inside and closed it behind him. He walked up to where Veronica was standing.

"You seriously want to dance with me?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes." She wrapped her arms around his neck, expecting him to wrap his arms around her waist. She wasn't expecting him to push her back some.

"If we're gonna dance, we're gonna do it the right way." At her confused look, Lamb took one hand in his and held their joined hands slightly away from their bodies. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Veronica smiled and draped an arm over his shoulder. The only person to dance this way with her in her life had been her father. She honestly hadn't expected Lamb to do that.

"I can honestly say I didn't expect you dance this way," she said after a few moments of silence.

"What can I say? My mom wanted me to be a gentleman."

Veronica stifled a laugh by burying her head in his shoulder. Somehow, they started swaying. With each song, Lamb and Veronica got closer. At one point, Lamb surprised Veronica once again when he spun her out and back. Her back was against his chest as they swayed softly. He spun her out again and back in, this time taking hold of her hand and waist.

"I have to admit," Veronica said, "that you're an okay dancer."

Lamb smirked. "Is that all? 'Okay'?"

"Fine I admit it. You're an amazing dancer." She paused. "And tell anyone I said, I'll kill you, sheriff or not."

Lamb chuckled as he pulled her closer. "Good to know." Neither were aware how long they danced, but neither cared. Lamb was enjoying being close to the blonde and Veronica enjoyed feeling loved again. She hadn't had a boyfriend in a while and had forgotten what it felt like to be held this way. She missed feeling a warm, comforting arm around her. She missed feeling a man's warmth beneath her cheek. She missed everything about having a boyfriend. _Lamb's better than nothing,_ she thought.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Sure." When he spoke, Veronica could feel his chest vibrating beneath her cheek.

"Don't you ever miss this?"

"Miss what? Dancing in a jail cell?"

"No." She rolled her eyes with a sigh. "You haven't had a girlfriend in a while, right?"

She could practically hear him roll his eyes. "Thanks for stating the obvious, Mars."

She pulled away enough that she could look at him. "Don't you miss being held or holding someone? Don't you ever miss being loved?"

He was silent for a while, staring at a spot above her head. When he finally answered, it was in a quiet voice. "I don't really think about it." He still didn't look at the blonde in his arms. "There are just no good women in Neptune anymore," he said. _Except one…_he adds in his mind. He wasn't sure when his feelings for Veronica decided to show up, but they were there, no doubt. He knew he wouldn't be telling her anytime soon. She had too many boyfriends to even think about him. Maybe that's why she dodged the Valentine's Day question. _Stop, you're being stupid._ Lamb sighed inwardly. This blonde had no clue what turmoil she put him through daily. He wasn't sure if he loved her, but he knew that's where he was headed. He was slowly falling for Veronica Mars and he had no clue whether she even liked him or not.

Neither spoke again. They just danced closely and silently. Veronica was still stuck on her earlier thoughts while Lamb tried hard not to try and kiss her.

Sacks got all the way home before he realized his jacket was still at the station. He thought about leaving it there until tomorrow. He had gotten dressed for his date, and afterwards, looked for his wallet. He was about to check in his car when he realized it was in his jacket…at the station. With a sigh, Sacks headed back towards the station. On the way, he called his date and told her he'd be late.

The first thing Sacks heard when he opened the door to the station was soft music. He thought he was imagining things (Lamb and Veronica wouldn't be listening to music…would they?) and quickly grabbed his jacket. He slipped it on (after checking for his wallet, which was in the pocket), and was about to leave when he heard the music again. He knew he wasn't imagining it so he went off in search of it. He opened the cell block door slightly. He stuck his head in. Never in a million years did he think that he'd see the sight that greeted him.

Veronica had her head resting on Lamb's chest as they swayed to the music. Both looked…peaceful.

Sacks took his phone out and snapped a picture of them. Inga owed him twenty bucks.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Family**

As soon as Lamb got home, he stripped off his jacket, unbuttoned his uniform shirt, kicked off his shoes, dumped his keys, wallet, and phone on the coffee table, and plopped onto the couch face first. He was beyond tired. All day he had dealt with two nosy FBI agents. He was sure they were there just to bug him. Since they left, all Lamb wanted to do was curl up to Veronica on the couch and play with the boys. But Veronica had gone back to school and Keith was watching the boys. She had called on his way home and said she would be home soon…all four of them. For now, Lamb was alone in the dark house.

He was just about to drift off when he heard the front door being unlocked. He groaned and buried his face in the pillow.

"Honey, I'm home," Veronica called as she closed the door behind her.

He wasn't sure if he answered her or not, but when he opened his eyes slightly, he saw a smiling Veronica.

"Tired?" she asked.

He could barely manage a nod. She seemed to notice because she leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"Be right back."

He nodded again and watched her disappear with the boys. As much as Lamb wanted to see them, he was just too tired. He decided he'd kiss them good night when and if he made it upstairs. A few minutes later, Veronica reappeared.

"Long day?" she asked. She climbed over Lamb's stretched out body. He moved towards the edge slightly so she could stretch out beside him. She ran her hand up and down his back as he turned his head to look at her.

"You could say that," he replied. He leaned over and gave her a kiss.

Suddenly, she sat up. "Let me try something."

Lamb was too tired to protest. He laid silently as Veronica straddled his back. He didn't protest when she helped pull his shirt off.

"What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

"You need to relax." Before Lamb could ask what she meant, she leaned forward and kneaded her hands in his back.

_Ah,_ thought Lamb. _A massage. I freaking love this woman._

"Have told you I love you?"

Before she could reply, the doorbell rang. They both sighed, and Lamb buried his face in the pillow. He felt Veronica pat his back.

"I got it," she said, knowing she really had no choice. She leaned down and kissed his back soundly. Afterwards, Lamb felt the couch shift slightly as she climbed over him and walked towards the door. He heard voices, and then the door closed. He almost called out to Veronica, but he heard multiple footsteps. He lifted his head, and, when he saw who it was, he jumped up. He grabbed his t-shirt and slipped it on.

"Hey Mom."

"Donnie!" Melissa Lamb cried, running forward to hug her youngest son. Veronica noticed her boyfriend's deer-in-the-headlights look as his mother embraced him. She stood behind the couch as she watched Lamb's brother Greg, sister Karen, brother-in-law Nathan, and sister-in-law Jessica tightly hugged him.

"Not that I'm glad to see you," Lamb said once he could breathe again, "but what are you doing here?"

"We wanted to see my grandsons!" Melissa replied curtly.

"We've seen the pictures," Karen told her big brother. "They were so cute!"

"We couldn't stay away," Jessica added, squeezing her sister-in-law's hand.

"I'm sorry," Veronica said, finally speaking up. They all looked at her. "They just fell asleep."

"Really?" Karen asked sadly.

Veronica picked up on this. "But, um, I guess you could stick your heads in. But please be quiet. If one wakes up, so do the other two. Then none of us will get any sleep."

"Y'all go ahead," Melissa said. "I'll be up in a minute."

The others nodded and followed Veronica upstairs. Lamb shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked at his mother, who was settling herself on the couch.

"I know what you're gonna ask," Lamb said before his mother could open her mouth.

"What am I going to ask?"

"When we're getting married."

"And?"

"We're not. Well, not yet anyway. I haven't even proposed to her."

"But you are. Soon, if I'm not mistaken."

"What?"

She held up his jacket. "I saw this on the way in here." She dug in the pocket, making him gulp. "I saw this."

He held his breath, hoping she'd pull something other than what he was thinking out of the pocket. But just his luck to see the woman pull out a small black box.

"Mom," Lamb cried, lunging forward to snag the box, but she already had it open. She gasped at the sparkling ring she saw inside. The band was silver and the diamond was huge.

"Oh my god Donnie," she gasped. Her eyes flickered towards her son. "This ring is gorgeous."

"Mom," Lamb cried again, this time snatching the ring. He abruptly snapped the box closed and stuffed it in his pocket. "Veronica could come down here at any minute."

"Too late."

Lamb froze at the sound of Veronica's voice. Slowly, she came into his line of sight, leaving her spot by the stairs.

"Well," Melissa said, standing up, "I'm just gonna go upstairs and round up the gang. We'll be staying at a hotel for the weekend."

The couple stayed silent at Melissa slipped from the room.

"Well?" Veronica said.

"Well what?" Lamb was trying real hard to pretend to be the idiot she thought he was at times.

"I saw the ring. Aren't you gonna ask me?"

"Seriously?"

She put her hands on her hips. "I'm not getting any younger, Lamb."

_Ooh last name,_ Lamb thought. _She's serious._ With a sigh, he said, "I was going to do this later. Much, much later." Despite his words, Lamb took her hand in his and got on one knee. He pulled the box out of his pocket and opened it. She gasped, throwing her hands over her mouth in shock.

"Veronica Mars-"

"Wait." Lamb groaned and hung his head. Of course only Veronica Mars would interrupt getting proposed to. "Did you talk to my dad? I mean, did he okay this?"

"Yes. I talked to him before I bought the ring. And before you ask, I talked to all your friends. Wallace, Logan, Parker, and Mac insisted on helping with the ring. Beware, if you say yes, Parker will have us married in a week's top."

Veronica smiled. "Okay, continue."

He grinned. "Veronica Mars, when I met you, you were thirteen. You were my boss's little trouble maker. And you slowly became my friend. After I almost died, you stayed by my side the whole time, making me into the man I am now. I know this cheesy, but believe me when I say I feel the need to say this. When I first saw you in a…none friend way, you hated me. When I first kissed you, I honestly expected you to taser me." They both giggled at the thought. "But through the years, you've been my best friend. I know at one point we were enemies, but I wish we hadn't been. I wish we had always been close, like we were when I first moved here and you had that huge crush on me. Veronica Mars, will you marry me?"

He had barely gotten the last word out when she cried, "Yes you idiot!" He smiled as he slid the ring on her finger. She didn't stop to admire it; she just jumped into his arms, kissing him passionately. They were vaguely aware of clapping. When they finally broke for air, a hand clapped Lamb on the shoulder.

"I knew it little brother," Greg said.

"Well it was his turn," Karen said stubbornly, hands on her hips.

Melissa took her oldest son and only daughter by the wrists. "Let's give the love birds some time alone."

"Please come by tomorrow," Veronica insisted. "My father's coming over for dinner and I'm sure he'll love to meet you." She smiled at her soon to be brother-and-sister-in-law. "All of you."

They smiled and hugged the newly engaged couple. Lamb wrapped his arms around Veronica from behind as soon as the Lamb family was closing the door.

"When'd you buy the ring?" Veronica asked, raising her hand up to inspect it. "It's gorgeous."

Lamb shrugged. "Not sure. A week or two ago, I guess."

She turned around in his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You guess?"

"You know, I could always just take the ring back."

She defensively held her hand behind her back. "Over my dead body."

Lamb laughed and kissed her soundly.

Once the kiss was broken, Veronica whispered, "Boys are asleep. We should celebrate."

Lamb laughed and pulled her towards the stairs. After a few steps, Lamb lifted Veronica up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Neither broke the kiss as they stumbled up the stairs and into their bedroom.

Later that night, Lamb was holding Veronica tightly as she called Parker and Mac. He could hear the girls' squealing loudly through the speaker. He chuckled and buried his face in Veronica's hair. Veronica was describing the ring when a cry could be heard. They both sighed.

"I got it," Lamb muttered. He kissed her neck and got up, slipping into his boxers before headed out of the room.

"Bye…_fiancée."_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Dinner**

A loud crash awoke Lamb and Veronica. Lamb lazily lifted his head off the pillow and looked around. He felt Veronica stirring. He kissed the top of her head and gently moved her head off his chest to a pillow.

"I'll check it out," he said. He was getting out of bed when her arm snaked around his waist and pulled him back down. She buried her face in his neck.

"Stay," she muttered, her breath hot against his neck.

"Babe, it could be a burglar."

A knock came at the door.

Veronica lifted her head. "Burglars knock?"

"Oh ha ha."

"You two awake?" It was Melissa Lamb.

"Come in Mom." The door opened and Melissa appeared with a smile on her face. She was carrying Levi.

"Karen and Jessica have Liam and Tony."

"How'd you get in?"

She blushed. "Um…spare key."

Veronica and Lamb shared a look.

"We don't have a spare key," Veronica stated.

"Oh? Well blame Greg."

The couple laughed as Lamb pulled both of them into a sitting position. Veronica held her arms out and Melissa handed the baby over with a smile. Lamb wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Levi cooed happily as Lamb let the baby play with his fingers.

"We made breakfast," Melissa announced. "Well, Nathan did. We wanted to celebrate."

"You did-"

"Yes we did." Melissa put her hands on her hips. "My baby boy is finally getting married."

Veronica kissed Lamb's neck. "I gotta check on the others." With that, she got out of bed and followed Melissa downstairs. With a groan, Lamb was following them.

Liam and Tony cooed when they saw their parents. Lamb grinned and gathered Tony in his arms. He smothered the boy's face in kisses, making Tony giggle. Veronica handed Levi back to Melissa before taking Liam into her arms. Karen was reading a book at the table, an empty plate in front of her. Greg and Jessica were looking at something on Jessica's phone. When she saw them, Karen hopped up and clapped.

"My brother is finally getting married," she announced.

Lamb rolled his eyes. Of course she'd bring that up. He sighed and turned to Veronica. "When is your father coming over?"

She shrugged. "Later." She stole a glance toward Karen, who nodded. "I was going to go dress shopping around noon with the girls."

Lamb about choked on the coffee he was drinking. "Dress shopping?"

"Not a wedding dress," Veronica said, smacking his shoulder. "Just a dress. My father wanted to meet somewhere fancy." She leaned up to kiss him quickly and gently. "Don't worry. We don't even have to start thinking about dates yet."

"What about this one?" Karen asked, holding out a puffy pink dress. Veronica couldn't hide the look of disgust.

"Sorry, Karen," she said, "but that isn't my style."

Karen shrugged. "Didn't know if you wanted to branch out."

Veronica smiled. "Thanks, but I think I'll stick with what I know."

"When'd you two meet?" Jessica suddenly asked. Her head popped up from the other side of the rack. She crossed her arms on the rack to lean over it slightly. "He told us you'd known each other for a long time, but he was never specific."

"Oh, we met long ago." She paused to look at her fiancée's family. "I can see why he wouldn't say. When we tell it, it makes him sound…creepy in a way."

"Oh?" Melissa chimed in. "How so?"

"Well, he first came to Neptune when he was twenty-three, right?" Melissa nodded. "Well…Did he ever tell you how old I am now?"

"Not exactly," Jessica replied.

"But we never asked," Karen quickly added.

"He just said you were younger," Melissa told the petite blonde.

Veronica nodded. "Alright, well we met when he was twenty-three and I was…thirteen."

_Thirteen year old Veronica Mars was spinning around in her father's chair. He was out on patrol with Deputy Sacks (who was insisting on growing a mustache), and had promised to bring back lunch. For now, she was sitting in his office, bored. She would've gone out to explore the station (even though she knew she could walk it with her hands tied behind her back and blindfolded) or bugged some of the deputies, but her father had been one step ahead of her. As soon as school let out, Deputy Jones picked her up and brought her to the station. He left her in the office with a note from her father that said the deputies were told to keep her in the office, much to her annoyance. The only way she could leave was when he'd gotten back to keep an eye on her, not that Keith Mars didn't trust his deputies. It was just that his daughter was manipulative, persuasive, and very good at getting what she wanted._

_Veronica had finished her homework and was now flipping through some of her father's files. When someone knocked at the door, Veronica was able to flip the files closed and straighten the desk like it was originally. Deputy Wilson opened the door with a soft smile on his face._

_"Mini Mars," he boomed, "need your help."_

_Veronica loved helping out around the station, especially Inga. "With what?"_

_Wilson nodded toward outside the office. "New guy's here early. See any paperwork that needs to be done?"_

_"What file?" She dragged the files in front of her."_

_"Should be marked Lamb."_

_She flipped through until she found it. "Got it." She held it out to him, but he shook his head._

_"I have work to do. Mind taking care of this?"_

_Must people wouldn't trust a thirteen year old, but Veronica had been "training" newbies since she could talk and write. "Send him in," she finally said. Wilson nodded and left the office. A man walked in after Wilson left. He had brown hair and striking blue eyes. He wore a lopsided grin._

_"You don't look like Keith Mars," he said when he saw the young girl._

_"I'm Veronica, his daughter."_

_"Don Lamb."_

_Veronica sat up in the chair and handed him the file. "Fill out any blank papers."_

_He looked at her curiously as he took the file. "How old are you?"_

_"Don't worry about it, Deputy Lamb." She handed him a pen. "My father trusts me to do this stuff."_

_Lamb's blue eyes twinkled. "Well that's fortunate." He started filling out papers. "So, how old are you?"_

_"Thirteen."_

_Lamb glanced at her. "You're smart for your age."_

_Veronica smiled fondly. "Thank you, Deputy."_

_Don smiled at her. He could see himself being friends with this girl. Despite being the boss' daughter, he could tell she caused trouble. She was either going to be his friend or his nightmare._

"Did he actually say that?" Melissa asked once Veronica stopped talking.

Veronica smiled. "More or less." She slid a hand over a pink dress. "But he did mention that he thought we'd be friends sooner or later."

"So you were thirteen?" Karen questioned.

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry. Nothing happened until I was eighteen…mostly."

"What do you mean by 'mostly'?" Jessica asked.

"Well…I kissed him once on my fifteenth birthday. After that, things went downhill for a while."

"Ooh!" Karen cried from another rack. The other three women turned to her. She was looking at blue dress that had a ruffled skirt and a lace strap that covered one shoulder. She picked it up and said, "Matches Don's eyes, doesn't it?"

Veronica smiled softly at the dress. She took it in her hands. "Yeah," she agreed, "it does."

Lamb tugged nervously at the hem of his shirt. Veronica noticed his nervousness and took his hand her in hers. Dinner had started thirty minutes ago, and the couple had yet to tell Keith the news. They both knew Keith already suspected, but neither were completely sure.

"Can you hand me the rice, sweetheart?" Keith asked Veronica. All night he had been asking her to give him something. She knew he was trying to get a glimpse at her hand.

Veronica handed him the bowl with her left hand.

Finally, when Greg brought cake out, Lamb took Veronica's hand in his. He squeezed gently.

Veronica cleared her throat, grabbing her father's attention. "Dad," she said. For the next minute, she tried to form a sentence, but couldn't. Instead, she stuck out her hand. The table was silent as Keith silently grabbed his daughter's hand and inspected the ring.

"Nice cut," he finally said. Veronica's face broke out into a smile. Keith noticed and smiled back. He dropped his hand and lifted his wine glass. "Congratulations sweetheart." He lifted the glass toward Lamb. "You too Don."

The corners of Lamb's mouth twitched upward. Veronica leaned back in her chair and Lamb wrapped an arm around her waist.

"It's about time," Keith said.

"What do you mean?" Melissa questioned.

"I mean, they already have kids. The next logical step was marriage."

Lamb and Veronica glanced at each other and smiled. While their parents started telling stories about Lamb and Veronica has trouble-making kids and Lamb's siblings and their spouses got into their own discussion, Veronica and Lamb talked quietly to themselves, like they were in their own world.

"I think we should get married in the spring," Veronica said.

Lamb smiled and took her hand. "That's months away. Look, I don't care when we get married, but I don't want to wait a year to marry you. I say we get married in the winter. That way it's still a few months away, but it's not quite a year."

Veronica pecked his lips. "I agree. I love you."

Lamb smiled. "I love you too."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Neighbors**

When it came to Lamb and Veronica's neighbors, the couple wasn't sure which was crazier. The people in the neighborhood were mostly the reason Lamb had been so reluctant to live in the neighborhood, though it was the perfect place to raise their boys. All the people in the neighborhood were either elderly or had families of their own…but Lamb and Veronica still thought they were crazy.

"I'm telling you," Lamb insisted. "That woman has been watering her flowers for the past hour. The same flowers, too."

Veronica sighed and looked up at her blue-eyed fiancée. "She must really love her flowers. It's probably nothing, Don."

"You said probably. Why would you say that?"

Veronica closed her book and stood up. "How about a trip to the park? I'm sure the boys would love it."

Lamb sighed. "Fine, whatever. Anything to get away from that woman." He peeked out the front window. "And now she's walking this way." He closed the curtain and looked at Veronica. "I tried to tell you." He looked up at the lights. "Maybe we can turn off all the lights in the house, pretend we're not home."

The doorbell rang.

Veronica rolled her eyes at the man before she opened the door. "Can I help you?"

The woman smiled. "Hi," she said. She had a wide smile and was abnormally cheery, something Veronica and Lamb rarely came across. "My name's Martha Ackerson." She gestured to the house she had just come from. "I live over there with my husband and daughter."

Veronica gave her a small smile. "I'm Veronica Mars, and this"-she pulled Lamb to her side by the front of his shirt-"is my fiancée Don."

Lamb mustered a smile.

"It's so nice to finally meet you," Martha said. " You've lived here a few months and no one has had the chance to introduce their self."

"Oh yeah," Veronica said. " We've just been super busy is all. We've been meaning to meet everybody."

_Either she hates me,_ Lamb thought, _or she's lying her ass off._

Martha smiled a creepy smile that made Lamb take a slight step in front of Veronica. "Well once a month we have a block party, and I was in charge of inviting you."

"I'm not sure-" Lamb was cut off by Veronica.

"When is it?"

"Today starting at six," Martha replied. "You have kids, don't you?"

Veronica nodded. "Triplets. They're a few months old."

"I thought so. Don't worry about them. You can bring them and either keep them with you or we have a few girls in the neighborhood that babysit for free. It gives us parents a break and a chance to relax and catch up with friends."

Lamb cleared his throat loudly. He wrapped an arm around Veronica's waist. He didn't say anything, but Veronica knew what he was thinking, so she smiled softly at Martha.

"We'll be there. Right on the street, right?"

Martha nodded.

"Then we'll see you later. Bye Martha."

"Bye Veronica. Bye Don."

Lamb forced a smile as he closed the door. He turned and opened his mouth, but Veronica spoke first.

"We're going." She patted his chest.

He opened his mouth to protest, but Veronica clamped a hand over his mouth.

"I'm serious Don. Our kids are going to grow up with some of these people. I want to know if they're even somewhat sane people."

Lamb shoved Veronica's hand away. "Did you see that smile? That was creepy."

She rolled her eyes.

Lamb was stalling, simple as that. He kept "forgetting" things all over the house: his phone in the basement, his jacket in the bedroom, one shoe in the office, the other shoe in Liam's room. Finally, Veronica had had enough.

"V, have you seen my…" He stopped short when he saw the angry expression. "Wallet?" he finished.

"You don't need it," she snapped.

"But what if we-"

"We're going to be right outside. If we need money, we can come get it." Veronica took his hand in hers and laced her fingers through his. "Look, I don't know why you're suddenly the world's most unorganized person, but cut it out. Nothing's going to happen to me or you or the boys. Got it?"

He nodded slowly. "But I still think-"

"If that sentence finishes with wallet or money, you're sleeping outside."

He closed his mouth. "I love you?"

She smirked and patted his cheek. "Good boy. Now, go get your sons."

"So you talked to the family this morning?" Sasha Oliver asked Martha Ackerson.

Martha nodded. "Mmm-hmm."

"And?" Christy Mason pressed. "What were they like?"

"The woman was awfully sweet," Martha replied. "But the man-shady, if you ask me. He barely said two words, and when I brought up Daisy and Carol babysitting, he stepped in front of her, like I was going to hurt her or something." Martha paused. "Though, I do think I've seen him somewhere before. I'm not sure from where, but I know I have."

Christy glanced at Sasha. "So what's the verdict?"

Martha sighed dramatically. "They seem nice."

"Well I think we should give them a chance," Natalie Pickens cut in. She sat down across from the three women. "You talked to them for less than a minute, Martha. We have to give them a chance."

"She's right," Sasha said. "They could be very nice people."

"Oh look," Christy said, sitting up straighter. "Here they come."

Sure enough, the couple was locking their front door. The man seemed to be talking as they made their way toward the party. He was carrying two baby carriers and the woman was carrying another. The women stood up to greet the approaching family.

"Veronica, Don," Martha greeted once they were close enough. She smiled the smile that made Lamb subconsciously tighten his grip on the carriers. "This is Sasha, Natalie, and Christy."

"Hi," Veronica said. "I'm Veronica and this is Don."

Christy smiled at the carriers. "And who are these beautiful boys?"

Veronica smirked at Lamb, who narrowed his eyes. She turned her attention back to the women. "This is Tony, Levi, and Liam."

The women cooed over the babies.

"Did Martha tell you about the babysitters?" Sasha asked.

"She did," Veronica replied.

"But we're not sure we're comfortable with leaving them with strangers," Lamb added. "At least, not yet."

Veronica smacked him on the chest. "You left them with Peters just last week."

"That's different."

She put the carrier down. "How?"

"I know Peters. Besides, I'm pretty sure he's scared of you."

"Why me?"

"Were to begin? Let's start with you're the only person who can trick the entire office into thinking it's national "No Work" day."

She grinned. "It was fairly easy if you ask me."

He gave her a playful nudge. "The paperwork was backed up for a week, no thanks to you."

She rolled her eyes and turned to the women. "Sorry about that." She elbowed Lamb in the stomach. "I swear he picks fights just to see me angry."

Lamb grinned. "It works."

She gave him a gentle shove. "You shut up."

Martha gave an uneasy smile. The couple was an odd pair. "Don, tell me," she said, "have we met before?"

Lamb shook his head. "Not before today," he replied.

"Then where have I seen you before?"

"Now that you mention it," Natalie said, "you do look familiar." Christy and Sasha agreed.

"I'm the sheriff of Balboa County," Lamb told them.

"Don," Martha suddenly said, "why don't you go introduce yourself to the men?"

Lamb really knew what she wanted. She wanted to have some "girl talk" with Veronica. He looked at Veronica, who shrugged.

"Go," she said. She pecked his lips. "I can watch the boys."

He reluctantly put the carriers down and headed over to where five men where surrounding a grill.

Martha gestured to an empty chair. "Please have a seat."

Veronica put all three carriers by her chair and sat down. The other four women followed.

"So your husband's a cop?" Natalie said, trying to start a conversation.

"Oh no," Veronica said quickly. At their confused looks, she added, "I mean, we're not married." She looked at her ring and smiled. "At least, not yet."

Christy smiled and held out a hand. "May I?"

Veronica silently put her hand in the woman's. All four women crowded around Veronica's hand gazed at the ring.

"It's beautiful," Martha finally said.

Veronica pulled her hand back. "Thanks."

"So how long have you two been together?" Sasha questioned.

_Ah, _Veronica though, _this is how this is gonna go._ "About a year and a half, but we've known each other longer."

That was when two girls around fourteen came rushing up. One of the girls was holding the hand of a boy who looked like four or five while the other girl was holding a baby in her arms and had a small girl about seven attached to her shirt.

The girl with the little boy spoke to Martha. "Mom, can we go get ice cream?"

Martha looked at the other women. "I'm sure that'd be okay." The girl smiled. "But I'd like for you to meet someone first." Her smile faded. "Daisy, this is Veronica. Veronica, this is my daughter Daisy."

"Nice to meet you," the girl said. She tugged slightly on the boy's hand. "This is Mrs. Natalie's son George."

"It's nice to meet both of you."

"Are those your babies?" the second girl questioned. She put the baby in Sasha's arms and detached the girl from her shirt. She squatted in front of a sleeping Levi. "They're cute."

"That's Carol," Sasha told Veronica. "She usually doesn't act like that."

Carol looked up at her mother before slowly standing and backing away from the babies. "It's nice to meet you," she said. She looked at the baby and the little girl, who was gripping tightly onto Carol's pants. "This is Mrs. Christy's daughter Julia, and that's my little sister Margret."

"Are you married?" Daisy suddenly asked.

Natalie stood up. "Why don't I go get some ice cream?" She took Julia's hand in her own. "I'll be right back."

Daisy and Carol had their attention fixed between Veronica and the boys.

"No," Veronica said, "I'm not married, but I'm engaged."

Carol looked up. "Is your fiancée here?"

Veronica nodded. "He's over there."

Carol and Daisy glanced toward the men but only for a second.

"I've never seen such blue eyes before," Daisy commented, looking at Tony's now opened eyes.

Veronica couldn't help but smile. That was what she had thought of Lamb's eyes when she had first gazed into his eyes. "They get it from their father."

Lamb was walking slowly. A glance over his shoulder told him Veronica was already settled into the small group of women. He huffed and approached the men. One man saw him and quickly alerted the others.

"You're the new guy, right?" one man asked.

Lamb nodded. "We've been here for a few months anyway."

"Well you're the newest family on the block. The rest of us have lived here for years."

Lamb nodded, then stuck out a hand. "Don Lamb."

The men introduced themselves and settled into conversation, mostly pestering Lamb with questions.

"So how long have you been married?" a man named Wes Ackerson asked as he flipped the burgers.

"I'm not," Lamb replied. "I'm engaged, though."

The men glanced at each other. It was a man named Ryan that spoke up. "So I hear you have kids."

"Yeah triplets." He pointed at Veronica. "They're over there with their mother."

The men studied Veronica for a moment. "She looks pretty," Oliver observed.

Lamb grinned. "She's beautiful."

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Tom asked. Kyle nodded before tilting his head and studying Lamb.

"From the news I think," Kyle said slowly. "Are you on the news?"

"I've been on the news before," Lamb admitted, "but I'm trying to stay out of it."

"Why have you been in the news? You a criminal or something?" Wes asked. Lamb decided he was probably as nosy as Martha was.

Lamb laughed. Anybody who really knew Veronica and Lamb knew who the criminal in the relationship was. The men all had confused expressions; none could figure out why he was laughing.

"Trust me," Lamb said once he stopped laughing. "I'm not a criminal. I'm the sheriff of Balboa County."

"Ah," Tom mumbled.

Once the burgers were done, Wes put them on a plate.

"The girls and George have gone to the playground," Tom announced. "They'll eat later."

"I better go ask Sasha what she wants," Kyle said. He left the group and headed toward the women. Tom, Oliver, and Ryan followed. Lamb looked at Wes.

"You're not gonna go ask?" Lamb asked.

Wes shook his head. "Martha likes to wait until everyone else gets their food. What about you?"

Lamb rubbed a hand over his cheek. He grabbed a plate and placed a bun on it. "I know what she likes."

Wes gave him a strange look, but put a hamburger on the bun. He watched as Lamb put mustard and ketchup on the hamburger before squishing the bun on top. He put baked beans and mashed potatoes on the plate before he put a plastic fork in the mashed potatoes. He seemed to hesitate slightly before putting a brownie and a cookie on the plate.

The husbands were taking mental notes as their wives described what they wanted. Martha was about to ask Veronica what she wanted when Lamb appeared. He stood by her chair and held a plate out to her.

"Hungry?" he asked.

She smiled and took the plate. "Thanks."

"By the way," he said, "that's mine." Before she could ask, Lamb snatched the cookie and took a bite. He grinned at her as he pulled a chair up beside her. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks."

Lamb and Veronica were aware of their neighbors watching them, but they didn't care. They answered questions that were fired at them while teasing each other. At one point, after Veronica had finished eating, Lamb put his feet on her lap. When the boys started crying, Lamb and Veronica each took one while Daisy jumped at the chance.

"I can help," she said. "I mean, I've taken care of Julia before."

Veronica and Lamb shared a look, but it was Veronica that spoke. "Sure. We'd appreciate it."

Daisy beamed and pulled her chair beside Veronica's. Veronica handed Levi to Daisy and took Liam in her arms.

"So were you thinking about getting a pet?" Martha suddenly asked.

"Actually I have a dog," Veronica replied. "But he lives with my dad."

"But we're half-way to convincing her father to give him to us," Lamb added.

"Really?" Carol asked excitedly. "What's his name?"

"Ba-Would you quit it?" Veronica snapped at Lamb, who grinned. He had been nudging her anywhere his foot could reach. She used one hand to support Liam while she shoved his feet off her lap with the other.

"Ah come on," he grinned. "Just trying to have some fun."

"Go bug Sacks."

"Would you really punish the poor man?"

"At this rate? Gladly."

He laughed. "Fine, fine. But for the record I'd rather go bug Echolls."

She glared. "Watch it."

"I'm kidding…mostly."

It was Natalie who broke them up. "Who's that?" She was looking toward their house, where a white SUV had just pulled into the driveway.

"They're back," Lamb said in a sing-song voice.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Earlier than we thought."

Lamb leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Don't forget they're taking the boys tonight."

She smiled. She and Lamb put the babies back in the carriers.

"That's my father and his family," Veronica explained to their neighbors. "We better go. It was nice to meet all of you."

There was a chorus of "It was nice to meet you too" and "See you tomorrow".

"What's going on out here?" Melissa asked as Lamb and Veronica approached.

"Just some block party," Lamb replied. He let his mother take Tony.

"Nice people?" Keith asked. He had offered to show the Lambs and their spouses around Neptune while Veronica and Lamb had a quiet day.

"Nosy," Veronica mumbled. She kissed her father on the cheek. "But okay."

Lamb and Veronica hung back as the others went inside, taking the boys with them. When the door was shut, Lamb turned to his fiancée.

"I don't care if I do have to sleep outside. I'm not doing that again." With that, he strolled inside, knowing she was rolling her eyes behind him.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Distractions  
Lamb was supposed to be helping Veronica with some wedding plans. She was sitting on the couch, asking him questions that he vaguely answered, and writing the answers down. He was sitting next to her, kissing her jaw and neck.  
"I'm serious Don," she said for the fifth time in the past twenty minutes. She moved away from him. "We need to get this done."  
He sighed and dropped his head on her shoulder. "I know and I'm sorry, but isn't this the bride and her bridesmaids' job?"  
"You're the groom. You have to help."  
A sharp cry came into the living room through the baby monitor on the coffee table. Lamb jumped up.  
"I'll get him." He hurried up the stairs and quickly found the crying Tony. He knew Veronica was going to be pissed at him, but he couldn't help it. He had said more than once that he didn't care what was at the wedding or where it was. As long as she was there, he was happy. But she deemed that an excuse. She swore he only had to help with a few things, but it was the stuff Lamb couldn't care less about. Yes he wanted her to have her dream wedding. Yes he wanted her day to be perfect, but he didn't need to help. In fact, he was surprised she was actually insisting on him helping. He was probably the worst help when it came to stuff like this.  
He rocked Tony back to sleep and put him the crib. He debated on going straight downstairs or staying in the room a little longer. The latter won. He sat in the rocking chair and slowly rocked back and forth. He knew he was going to end up sleeping on the couch for stressing her out even more, but he was waiting for her to figure out she didn't need his opinion, which she argued with on everything. They were both too stubborn to agree. Just last night they had argued over what to have for dinner: pizza or Chinese.  
An idea popped into Lamb's head. He grinned and stood up. If he could get her distracted enough, she'd drop the plans. Even though it'd only be for a little while, he'd take what he could get.  
"They're asleep," he announced as he walked back into the living room. He settled himself on the couch and pulled her between his legs, so her back was to his chest.  
"Don't even think about distracting me," she warned as he played with her hair.  
"Wouldn't dream of it," he mumbled, dropping a lazy kiss on her collarbone. "So what's next?" He decided he'd have to slowly work his way toward distraction.  
She smirked. "Your best man."  
Lamb had thought it over. He had been Sacks' best man at his deputy's wedding, so it was only fair. Besides, he really didn't know that many people besides Keith, Sacks, and Veronica's friends. "Sacks."  
"Knew it." She scribbled it down anyway.  
"If you knew, why'd you ask?"  
She shrugged. "Just making sure." She hid her grin when she felt him kiss her neck again. "Where do you think we should have it?"  
He wasn't listening anymore. He rarely had time alone with her anymore, between his family and the wedding plans and the boys. He missed her. So he wrapped his arms tightly around her and continued kissing her.  
"Don." She was giving in. She felt him smile against her neck and knew he knew it. He kissed his way up her neck and planted kisses on her ear and behind it.  
Lamb turned her around so she was facing him. She opened her mouth to say something, and he swooped in to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him as close as possible as she deepened the kiss. He bit her lip and she opened her mouth. She moved so she was straddling his lap and his hands roamed her body. She broke the kiss, trying to catch her breath.  
"That was an amazing distraction," she muttered.  
He smirked. "I love you, you know."  
She nodded. "I love you too Deputy."  
He grinned and peppered her face with kisses. "I miss you," he mumbled against her lips.  
She laid a hand on his cheek and the other in his hair. "I guess planning could wait." With that, she leaned in and kissed him passionately. She broke the kiss again to kiss his neck.  
Some time later, Lamb and Veronica were lying on the couch with a blanket tossed over them. Veronica's notebook was on the floor by the couch, long forgotten. Their legs were tangled together and her head was on his chest as Lamb absentmindedly played with her fingers. She smiled when he brought her hand to his lips and kissed each finger.  
Veronica leaned over him to grab her notebook, making him groan.  
"I thought we were done with that," he grumbled.  
She kissed his chest. "We were...for that time." She quickly got dressed and tossed him his clothes. He sluggishly put his boxers and sweatpants on.  
"I have an idea," she said, taking his hand. He let her led him upstairs to their room, where she shut the door. "Sit. I'm gonna check on the boys and be right back." As she opened the door, he started to slip his shirt back on, but she snatched it. "And no shirt."  
A few minutes later, Veronica came back in the room and shut the door. He was lying on the bed and gave her a curious look when she opened her notebook.  
"You had an idea?" She nodded. "Am I gonna like this idea?"  
She nodded again. "In fact, you're going to love this." She grabbed both his hands and pulled him up so he was sitting. "We're going to play a game."  
"I like games," Lamb said automatically, making her laugh.  
She patted his head. "I know. So the rules of this game are simple. Every time you answer a question that helps with the wedding planning, I lose an item of clothing."  
He slowly grinned. He knew her undressing would be a very welcomed distraction from the questions. "Alright. First question."  
She grinned. "Pick a place."  
"Some place that fits us. No beaches or churches."  
"A hotel?"  
He nodded. "Do you remember the hotel we stayed out when we first started dating? I think it's called the Hillsgrove."  
"Oh, yeah. I loved that place."  
"Let's get married there. It suits us, don't you think? I mean, it's not fancy, but it's not shabby."  
She wrote it down before slowly pulling her shirt off. Sadly, she had put on a tank top.  
"That's just cruel," Lamb mumbled.  
She smirked.  
They continued on with the game for a good two hours before Veronica was out of all her clothing. What could Lamb say? It was a welcomed distraction.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Wedding**

"You know, it's not too late to back out," Mac commented, earning her a glare from the bride. She put her hands up in innocence. "I'm just saying. I want you to do whatever you want."

Veronica groaned. "I was right."

"About what?" Parker asked, plopping down next to Veronica on the bed.

"All of my friends still don't like Don."

"That's not true." Parker shrugged. "Well, it is for Piz. But Piz is just jealous."

Veronica shook her head with a grin. "Don't I know it."

Karen and Jessica sat down on the other bed. "When'd you first know you loved my brother?" Karen asked, tilting her head slightly.

Veronica smiled at her. "Not sure. It just...happened. I think it was after a case we were both working on. He pissed me off, I avoiding him, he came to my door with flowers and a case for my stun gun." She sighed contently. "I'm sure I've loved him for a long time, but that's when I realized it."

"I wish Nathan and I had something romantic like that," Karen grumbled. "All we have is cliches. Getting married on the beach, meeting on a stupid blind date." She crossed her arms. The others laughed.

Lamb took a sip of his beer. He didn't want a stripper (mostly because Keith was there and he felt like living to see his wedding day), so they were playing poker in the hotel room.

"I'm so proud of you little bro," Greg said, nudging Lamb. "You're finally getting married."

Lamb rolled his eyes. "Bound to happen eventually," he snapped.

"I saw the ring," Nathan said. "Where'd you get it?"

"And who helped pick it out?" Greg added.

Lamb nodded toward Wallace and Logan. "Them and Parker and Mac."

"You must love her to go let her four friends fight over a ring."

"She knows I love her since I asked Keith before hand." The men laughed. They all knew Lamb was slightly scared of Keith, whether he was sheriff or not. He did not want to be on the receiving end of his soon-to-be father-in-law's shotgun.

"Nervous?" Lamb about jumped out of his skin at the sound of another person's voice. He whirled around to see a smirking Greg. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

Lamb rolled his eyes. "You didn't scare me. More like startled." He adjusted his tie. "And, no, I am not nervous."

"Liar." Greg appeared behind Lamb. "I know you. You're scared to death."

"Okay, so maybe I am. Big deal. Everybody's nervous on their wedding day."

Greg clapped him on the shoulder. "As long as you don't run out, I don't care how scared or nervous you are."

Lamb turned around, eyes glaring. "Did Mom send you in here to make sure I don't run?"

"Why would you think that?" He avoiding the question. Lamb narrowed his eyes.

"Go find Mom and tell her to quit worrying. Okay?"

"What if something goes wrong?" Veronica asked as Karen and Parker adjusted her veil.

"You have got to be the most negative bride I have ever met," Mac commented from her spot in the corner.

"I can't help it," Veronica said, turning to face the four other women. "Should I be this nervous?"

"Absolutely," Jessica replied. "In fact, I'd be surprised if you weren't."

"You look beautiful sweetheart," Keith said as he entered the room.

"Thanks Dad," Veronica said with a smile. She hugged him. "Have you seen Lamb?"

"I have. I didn't think it was possible for anyone to be any more nervous than you, but he proved me wrong."

Lamb grinned at Veronica as they spun around the dance floor. Married. They were officially married. "You look beautiful," he said.

"Are you happy?"

He smiled even wider as he kissed her. "I am. I just married a beautiful girl who always can taze me."

"That was twice! Both times you pissed me off!"

Lamb laughed. "Sorry I brought it up." She rolled her eyes.

"Jerk," she muttered.

"You know you love me. You have since the day you met me."

"I think I always loved you. Even when you were an ass."

"Well since the day I met you I knew that you and that ass of yours were mine."

"Mind if I cut in?"

Lamb bit his lip as he turned to face his father-in-law. "Sure sir." He stepped back. "Just don't run off with her."

"No promises," Keith retorted. Lamb rolled his eyes as he grabbed his mother to dance.

"Can you at least try to get along with your son-in-law? He is the father of your grandsons."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I could try but I make no promises. He got you pregnant before you were married."

"It takes two to tango Dad."

Keith made a disgusted face. "If you never say that again, I'll pay you."

Veronica laughed, hugging her father.

"I'm proud of you," Melissa said as she danced with Lamb.

"Why's that?"

Melissa smiled softly. "You found a nice girl who you love. A girl that isn't afraid to put you in your place. A girl that will call you out on stupid ideas."

"She's always been that way," Lamb stated. "But that's why I love her."

When they finally left for their honeymoon (leaving the boys with Keith and Melissa), Lamb said to Veronica, "Think they're putting money on us?"

"Hell yeah," Veronica laughed. "I'm sure Logan has been placing bets all night long."

"Guess he's trying to make up for the money he lost in poker last night."

Veronica kissed him. "You know I love you, right?"

Lamb looked confused. "Of course. You married me, didn't you?"

"Well yeah. But earlier my dad said you were extremely nervous. Why?"

"Weren't you?"

"I was terrified." She sat back. "It made me realize how much my life has changed. I'm not a single twenty-year-old college student. I'm a wife and a mother of three." She laced her fingers through Lamb's. "But I wouldn't change a thing."

Lamb smirked as he kissed her passionately.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Honeymoon**

As soon as the door was closed, Lamb and Veronica had their lips locked. Veronica wrapped her legs around his waist as the two fell back on the bed. Lamb's lips moved to her neck. When Veronica's back hit the mattress, she couldn't help but giggle.

Lamb paused and lifted his head, looking at his new wife curiously. "Something funny?"

She tried to pull the grin off her face. "Not at all." She kissed him again, which quickly led to him kissing his way down her neck again. Once again, she giggled.

Lamb groaned and rolled onto his back. Veronica leaned on her elbow, her hand running up and down his chest.

"Something you want to tell me?"

Veronica sighed and kissed his jaw. "I don't know what's going on. I just..." She trailed off and lied on her back next to him. His arm went around her and the two stared at the ceiling. "It's got me thinking. I always thought that on my honeymoon I wouldn't think about anybody but the man I was with, but now I can't stop thinking about the boys."

Lamb kissed the top of her head. "It's too quiet here, isn't it?"

She nodded. "I'm used to having some noise around, whether it's the boys crying or cars outside."

Lamb suddenly stood up. "Well, I guess now's a good time to give you my gift to you."

Veronica sat up. "Gift? What gift?"

"Hold on." Lamb pulled a shiny disk out of his suitcase. He put it in the stereo that was in the room and pressed play. Music filled the room. Veronica's eyes widened.

"How'd you remember this?" When Veronica was fifteen and still crushing on a Deputy Lamb, she had gone to the police ball with her father. While there, she had convinced Lamb to dance to the song currently playing, and he had jokingly said it was their song.

He shrugged as he sat down next to her. "How could I not? That was the night you first called me a jackass."

She laughed at the memory of her fifteen-year-old self calling the deputy a jackass. "You deserved it."

He grinned. "Guess I did. I was thinking-" He was cut off by Veronica's lips on his. When she tried to deepen the kiss, he moved his lips to her collarbone. He paused for a second and, when she didn't giggle, lifted her shirt over her head.

Two days later and the newlyweds left the room to act like tourists. Keith's wedding present had been a week honeymoon in Italy.

"Mmm," Veronica hummed as she ate her pizza. "This is amazing."

Lamb smiled at her. "So," he said once he polished off his slice. "Where to next?"

Veronica shrugged, munching on her third slice. "We need dessert."

At this, Lamb laughed. "Dessert? You're pretty much eating this pizza by yourself."

She glared at him. "You know, I just might be way too tired when we get back to the room. I might just want to sleep."

"Fine, we'll get dessert."

Veronica grinned.

A half hour later, Veronica was licking her ice cream cone as she walked beside her husband on the crowded street. They were wondering aimlessly, she knew, but she was enjoying the view. It was loud and people were shouting in all sorts of languages. Suddenly, Veronica passed a street vender and caught sight of some toys. She grabbed Lamb's hand and yanked him toward it.

"What? You already have ice cream." Lamb watched as she dropped his hand and, while eating her ice cream, looked at the toys.

"We need something for the boys," Veronica said, grabbing a teddy bear. "Don't you think?"

Lamb shrugged. "Yeah, not that they'll remember." He picked up a robot. "This stuff we could get in Neptune." He pressed a button on the back and the robot starting spitting out words in Italian, causing Veronica to laugh.

"We're buying some toys and that's final." She handed him a toy T-Rex and a some sort of action figure. With a sigh, Lamb paid the vender the money and stuffed the three toys in a bag.

"Anything else?" Veronica grinned.

Later that evening, Lamb put all the bags down. She'd taken him seriously and bought something for Keith and Melissa. For Keith, she had picked out a gun case for his shotgun, and for Melissa, she had gotten a pair of earrings.

"You were so patient today," Veronica purred, running one hand over Lamb's chest and the other through his hair.

"So tired," he joked, flopping on the bed. He was on his stomach and was about to roll over when she straddled his back. She slipped his shirt off and started messaging his back. "Oh, I love you," he moaned. Fifteen minutes later, Veronica flipped him over and lied down on her stomach.

"My turn," she said in a sing-song voice.

Lamb shook his head. He knew it had been coming, but he didn't say anything. He just took her shift off, leaving her in a tank top, and messaged her shoulders and back.

"We...need...to...go...inside," Veronica mumbled against Lamb's lips, in between kisses. He only hummed in response, tightening his grip on her waist. Finally, Veronica pulled away and said, "Neighbors will talk."

"Don't care," Lamb growled, lowering his head again. Before his lips could meet hers, the front door opened, revealing Keith and Melissa. Lamb groaned inwardly. "Mom, Keith."

"Welcome home!" Melissa cried, pulling her son and daughter-in-law into a bone crushing home. Keith squeezed his daughter and shook Lamb's hand before letting the couple enter their house.

"Where are my boys?" Veronica asked.

"Upstairs with Mac." Veronica didn't take any time rushing up the stairs, leaving her suitcase with Lamb.

"Did the others just home okay?" Lamb asked. After the wedding, Karen and Greg and their spouses had gone home.

"Fine sweetheart," Melissa said, hint of sadness in her tone. She was going home in a few hours and would miss the family in Neptune greatly. "Keith's going to give me a ride to the airport tonight."

"That's good."

"How was Italy?" Keith asked. "That reminds me." Lamb hand a white box to his mother and a long black case to Keith. Keith grinned at the case, opening it. It had red lining and was made for his shotgun.

"Red will hide the blood," Keith said, looking at Lamb, who gulped.

"Oh I love these!" Melissa cried, holding up the earrings. She squeezed Lamb tightly.

"We better get going Melissa," Keith announced. "Traffic."

"Alright. Can you put my bags in the car?" He nodded and stood up to do so. Melissa hugged Lamb once again. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Mom." He didn't object when she grabbed his hand and forced him to follow her up the stairs, into the boys' playroom. Veronica had given the boys their new toys so all three were giggling at Mac and Veronica, who were playing with the toys.

"It's time for me to get going," Melissa said, startling Veronica and Mac. The blonde stood up and hugged her mother-in-law.

"Are you sure you can't stay?"

Melissa gave her a sad smile and shook her head. "You don't need me hanging around. You two are doing great on your own, trust me." When Keith called from downstairs, Melissa said good-bye once again. "I'll miss you all." With that, the woman disappeared.

"Give me that boy," Lamb said, reaching for Tony, who smiled when his father picked him up.


End file.
